Approximately 5000 Canadians leave for the Hajj despite H1N1 fears

This year, as he does every year, Dr. Munir El-Kassem, a professor of Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario, is escorting a group of 450 pilgrims – the largest Canadian contingent – to the Hajj. He said the pilgrims he leads receive an intensive Islamic course in the field. “I go over to provide…

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French military personnel unable to perform Hajj

An H1N1 outbreak among 200 French military personnel and their families has meant they are unable to perform the Hajj. The spokesperson, Abdelkader Arbi noted that, “The pilgrimage reflects demand among Muslims military personnel and that the number of Muslims within the army.”

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CFCM Discourages Meccan Pilgrimage Because of H1N1 Virus

The French Council of the Muslim Faith’s (CFCM) director Mohammed Moussaoui has discouraged French Muslims from the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia because of concerns of the spread of the H1N1 virus. 14 Deaths have been reported in Saudi Arabia. Instead Moussaoui encouraged piety during the month of Ramadan.

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CAIR asks US Muslim prayer leaders to urge swine flu precautions

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on Islamic Religious Leaders and Imams to use daily and Friday prayers in the nation’s mosques and Islamic centers as a platform for providing information about preventing the spread of swine flu, or the H1N1 virus. CAIR said that imams are in a unique position to offer public…

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    General: ‘Swine’ flu name causing some offense to Jews and Muslims

    According to some Muslims and Jewish people of faith, the common name of the H1N1 virus, “Swine Flu,” is offensive in its reference to pigs, because the animal is considered unclean to Muslims and Jews. Some Israeli health officials have urged changing the name to “Mexican flu.” In the United States, the Center for Disease…

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